Knowledge concerning the young child's conceptions and feelings about the self and the origins of these evaluations is limited. In the present study these issues are explored. It is hypothesized that the early development of self-conceptions is heavily determined within the family. The mother's verbalizations to the child are investigated as a possible source. Since self-attributions of unworthiness are common in depressed adults, it seems possible that the depressed mother, in her comments to and about her child, may convey messages of the child's unworthiness or helplessness, the verbalizations of 18 well and 18 depressed mothers and their 2- to 3-year-old children in natural interaction are examined. Measures of the child from other data sources will be examined in relation to the mother's verbalizations.